Dear Feeling
by Corneria
Summary: Home alone, Ringo receives an uninvited guest soaked in the rain who pushes her feelings.


_'Have I ever genuinely showed love for anyone?'_ Ringo thought. '_For myself and no one else?'_ Perhaps carrying out the duties of her deceased sister, Momoka, weren't fulfilling. They didn't satisfy Ringo. She lived a lie, and once she realized this, it had already been too late. Struggling to push the past behind, the sullen girl stretched over the soft, living room couch, too lazy to get up and head to her own mystic bedroom. The brunette's dear parents weren't home, unfortunately, but Ringo didn't mind. After all, she felt the need to have the home to herself, uninterrupted as she pondered deeply.

However, a crash of thunder sounded and it began to pour rain. It was approximately eleven at night, and the formerly quiet night became increasingly noisy. In addition, an urgent sounding pound on the door came, and Ringo groaned. Couldn't be her parents-they weren't senseless enough to leave their keys home. An emergency, perhaps? Whatever it was didn't seem to cause Ringo to jump to her feet immediately. She sluggishly pulled herself up, scratching her half-exposed stomach in her shrinking pajamas. Effortlessly, she opened the door without asking who it was until afterwards.

And that proved to be a mistake.

"Who in the world could-" She paused, her face in a bit of shock. Her jaw dropped upon sight of this person who was none other than...

"Ringo... I'm sorry I have to come out here," the panting blue haired boy apologized.

Shouma Takakura.

"Shouma..." Ringo stood frozen in front of her peer who had been soaking wet in the rain, she assumed. His matted hair dripped with water onto her balcony as he continued to catch his breath.

"I was walking home when I got caught in the sudden rain," he began. "Maybe it was my fault I had been out so late, but don't worry. It had nothing to do with Himari."

Ringo continued to stand in front of the doorway. "...What were you up to then? At this hour...?"

"Uh... confidential!" Shouma rubbed the back of his head nervously and laughed. Clearly, Ringo was suspicious of him, but she decided to leave it alone.

"Why are you here then?" she asked, stalling. Were Shouma to get sick from the cold it would partially be Ringo to blame. She was hoping for the rain to stop before he'd even get to walk in her home. Had she been feeling...weird about Shouma?

"I saw that you lived nearby so I went to seek shelter!"

"...Lame."

"Wh-What?"

"What if I had been asleep? My parents aren't even here."

"They're not...?"

The moment Ringo realized what she had blurted out, she mentally insulted herself and covered her mouth. "Right, they aren't... so... if you could just leave-"

"Eh?!" Shouma, still dripping wet, gave Ringo a look of disbelief. "C-Couldn't you be a bit more considerate? I could very well get sick standing out here like this!" More thunder sounded, causing Ringo to feel uneasy. It would be reasonable, but what would she have done if her parents caught her alone with a boy?

...Again?

"Geez, you're annoying," she snapped, not fully meaning it. "Get in before I change my mind." And with that, she side stepped to allow her soaking wet guest to enter her home.

"Brrr... I couldn't thank you enough..." Shouma sighed with relief. Upon reaching the couch, he stood there, still dripping, as Ringo shut the door. "Spare a towel?"

"In the bath," Ringo answered halfheartedly. "Use one on the rack. They're new."

"Ah, thank you. I'd need to shower too if that's alright?"

Feeling her face flush upon picturing the sight, she frantically shook her head. Seeing as Shouma was a bit confused, Ringo immediately nodded afterwards adding, "...Go ahead."

"And Ringo? Mind drying my clothing?" Shouma scurried to the bath after thanking her.

"I'm not a maid!" she shouted. Door shut. Ringo sighed, clutching her chest where her heart beat rapidly.

_'Why is this happening...?'_ Mid-thought, a high pitched ringing sounded, causing Ringo to jump. A second ring, she realized Shouma had left his phone on the couch. A third ring. She stared at it. A fourth. She noticed **{incoming: KANBAKA**} in big, bold letters. A fifth. Should she answer that? The sixth ring only went about halfway, as Ringo snatched the annoying electronic up and pressed talk.

"Hello?"

"Yo, Shouma-" the voice on the other end paused. "Wait, you went through a sex change? Is that why you're sounding girly and have been out all late?"

Silence for a few moments. Ringo cleared her throat.

"Erm... Kanba? It's Ringo. Shouma's in the bath."

"I was just teasing," Kanba joked. "Of course, Shouma's already girly as it is, but... Wait, why's he in the bath?"

Well, that was expected.

"He claimed he was on his way home with the rain soaked him. Since he was nearby, I guess he stopped over to seek shelter."

"Idiot. He could've just kept running. Ah, well. I suppose he's growing up."

"Eh? What's that mean?"

"Just tell him to call me back when he's done. And get a room! (He laughs briefly.) Later!"

"..." Ringo confirmed END on the call and walked over to the couch. She curled up on it, and attempted to relax so that her heart might stop thumping so fast. She had a weird feeling, something she was sure she felt with Tabuki for a brief period, but not genuinely. Shouma was done with his bath at the moment, and he apparently had spare clothing. Just a T-shirt and some sweatpants, though.

"Luckily, I had this attire on me," he started as he walked towards the living room, "or else I'd be sitting in a towel for an eternity while my clothing dried."

"Are you staying the night over?" Ringo asked, still in the same position. When Shouma noticed this, he fell silent.

After a few seconds, he stuttered, "I-I wouldn't stay the whole night! Just until the rain stops."

"Do you know when it'll stop?"

Silence again.

"N...no."

Ringo sighed hopelessly. "Shouma, it's already midnight. Just find a spot to sleep and I'll think up various ways to kill you for this later on."

"Eh, do you have a guest bedroom?"

"No."

"I guess I'll take this couch. You can sleep soundly in your comfortable bed."

_'True,'_ she thought.

The feeling couldn't be fought. The brunette shook her head in disagreement. "No, Shouma. I'd rather sleep with you."

The two stared at one another as Ringo gazed, faced flushed, and Shouma's eyes widened, unable to find words to say.

"I mean- You could...sleep on one side, and I could on the other. We'd both be comforta-" Before she realized what she had been saying, Shouma cut her off.

"Ringo," Shouma said without moving an inch. Ringo slowly sat herself back down onto the couch.

_'Why on Earth did I...?'_

"I don't...think..." The troubled teen clutched his head. "I'm sorry, I'm not..." With a blink of an eye, Shouma Takakura fell to the floor head first, his face making contact with the rough rug.

Ringo gasped, leaping up from her seat. "Shouma!" she exclaimed with honest concern. She plopped down to his side and grunted as she decided to turn his body over so that he'd be facing the ceiling. The panicking lass pulled his shaking body towards hers and crossed her legs, allowing Shouma's head to fit in her lap.

As Shouma continued to breathe abnormally, Ringo laid her hand upon his head to discover it was burning hot. The poor boy had come down with a fever. Ringo quickly glanced at the towel that had fallen with Shouma. Reaching out to touch it, she felt that it had been still damp and warm. She had planned to rest it upon his forehead, but in its current tempature, it would only prove to be useless.

"Ice... I need ice," she thought aloud. The problem was that she didnt want to get up and leave Shouma there for even a second. However, desperate times called for desperate measures.

"I'm sorry." Ringo gently lifted Shouma's head off of her lap, placing it back onto the rug carefully. She proceeded to jump up and scurry to the bathroom, where another spare towel had been waiting. Making sure it hadn't been used, the swift gal moved with urgency back to the tiny kitchen beside the living room Shouma laid in, and sprinted to the fridge. She folded the towel into the size of a wash rag, and gathered ice from the dispenser. Ringo held a few frigid cubes in one palm, and the folded towel in the other. She moved towards the sink to wet the towel with cool water, squeezed the towel, and shut off the running water. As she rushed back to Shouma's side, she kneeled down to place the cool, wet towel upon his forehead, then returned back to placing his head in her lap. The ice she gripped was melting slightly, but she didn't care. As long as she'd be able to put them to use quickly.

Ringo spread the cubes out upon the top of the damp towel, holding her breath. She exhaled shortly after, wondering if she had done the right thing. Good thing she hadn't told him Kanba called. He would've probably responded immediately and fainted midcall. Ringo didn't want to worry anyone else.

"Shouma, I... I shouldn't have kept you out there for so long," she spoke as if he'd been conscious. "It's my fault entirely."

_Twitch._

Ringo leaned over Shouma, her short auburn hair dangling. A once pain stricken face had slowly and steadily showed a more relieved expression. Within a few moments, there was another twitch. Shouma's eyes began to open, squinting until the lids fully rose. Ringo's eyes widened and Shouma stared at the girl who had such a huge smile that brought her to tears.

_Plop._

"Ah?" Shouma felt his face moisten with her tears.

"Shouma..." Ringo's red cheeks felt hot with embarrassment. Her wide smile softened to a sweeter one, much smaller. "I can't believe what I said. I would like for you to forget that..."

"About...?"

Ringo lifted her head up, her eyes never leaving Shouma. "You don't...remember?"

"My head's a little fuzzy."

"Ah, no matter then..." She pretended not to notice his bewildered expression. "I suppose it's just fate. ...Fate that I fell in love with you."


End file.
